Written by

Joseph Spector and Tim Henderson

Gannett Albany bureau

Findings

Here are some of the findings from a Gannett Albany bureau review of state Department of Transportation records on bridge conditions as of August: Of the state's 17,309 bridges, 2,044 bridges, or 13 percent, were structurally deficient. Nearly 4,300, or 23 percent, were functionally obsolete and have outlived their usefulness. 6,220 bridges, or 37 percent statewide, had ratings under 5, which the state Department of Transportation says "indicates deterioration at a level that requires corrective maintenance or rehabilitation." Erie County led the state in the number of bridges with ratings under 5 at 312, while Westchester was second with 307 bridges below 5. Westchester County led the state with the number of obsolete bridges  340, or 45 percent. Erie and Monroe counties rank second and third in the state in the number of structurally deficient bridges, with 75 and 68, respectively. In Monroe, 11 percent of the bridges were deficient compared with 8 percent in Erie. The North Country counties of Essex and Lewis had the highest percentage of deficient bridges at 24 percent and 23 percent, respectively, while Manhattan had 79 percent of its bridges deemed obsolete.

About this series

New York has more than $80 billion in unfunded infrastructure needs over the next 20 years, but no long-term plan to pay for it. In an ongoing series, Gannett's Albany bureau will look at the state's troubled infrastructure, where the money to fund projects goes and what changes are needed.Next Sunday: New Yorkers pay taxes and fees that are supposed to fund road and bridge repairs, but nearly three-quarters of the money goes elsewhere.

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ALBANY — New York state faces an extraordinary infrastructure problem as it seeks to repair roads and bridges built decades ago.

The state's crumbling infrastructure isn't going to get better any time soon, and it's going to be expensive to repair.

The state Comptroller's Office estimates that New York needs a remarkable $250 billion to maintain its transportation, sewer and water systems over the next 20 years — but about $80 billion of that total is unfunded.

The troubled picture comes as Washington and Albany are grappling with budget woes that have limited funding for roads and bridges. New York in 2009 lowered its capital spending on transportation repairs, but federal stimulus money picked up some of the slack. Yet the stimulus money is soon to run out.

"The central theme is that we have immense infrastructure needs and very limited resources to tend to those needs, and that presents some significant challenges," said Tom Nitido, deputy state comptroller.

For example, more than one-third of New York's bridges are in need of repair by the state's own standards, a review of records shows.

Not only do 37 percent of the state's bridges have a condition rating under 5 — the threshold that requires repair — but a similar percentage has been deemed either structurally deficient or functionally obsolete, Gannett's Albany bureau found in an analysis of the roughly 17,000 bridges in the state.

Recent storms Irene and Lee highlighted the fragility of the state's infrastructure, with dozens of roads and bridges wiped out because of flooding.

Bridges in New York were built on average in 1965, records show, and 46 years later, many are showing their wear. Bridges have an average life of about 50 years, industry experts said.

Among the findings in bridge inspection records as of last month:

Of the state's 17,309 bridges, 2,044 of them, or 13 percent, were structurally deficient, which means they need significant maintenance and repair to remain in service. Nearly 4,300, or 23 percent, were functionally obsolete, a classification that means a bridge has outlived its usefulness, such as having narrow lanes, no shoulders or low clearances.

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6,220 bridges, or 37 percent statewide, had ratings under 5, which the state Department of Transportation says "indicates deterioration at a level that requires corrective maintenance or rehabilitation." Bridges can have a poor rating, yet not necessarily be deemed structurally deficit or obsolete because of various grading criteria. Bridges are inspected by the state every two years.

Erie County led the state in the number of bridges with ratings under 5, with 312. The scale is 1 to 7, with 7 the best condition.

Westchester County led the state with the number of obsolete bridges, with 340, or 45 percent of all the structures. Erie and Monroe counties rank second and third in the state in the number of structurally deficient bridges, with 75 and 68 respectively. In Monroe, 11 percent of bridges were deficient compared with 8 percent in Erie.

The North Country counties of Essex and Lewis had the highest percentage of deficient bridges at 24 percent and 23 percent, respectively, while Manhattan had 79 percent of its bridges deemed obsolete.

While highway departments stress they closely monitor bridge conditions and repair them as needed, they admit it gets increasingly difficult to keep up with the demand.

"We get a lot of these small bridges failing at once," said Andrew Avery, the highway superintendent in Chemung County. "It does become problematic. We find each year that we're replacing at least one or two bridges that we didn't expect to because of failures that were much more than expected."

Local impact

The effects are being felt around the state. Ron Tolster, 73, of Brockport, said he could see rust corroding through a bridge over the Erie Canal that connects Smith Street and Perry Street.

The bridge, built in 1910, was the worst-rated bridge in the county until it was closed late last year, repaired and reopened last summer.

"The whole bridge was in terrible shape," Tolster said. "My wife and I would walk under it and you could see right through some of the I-beams it rusted so bad."

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It's not just bridges. New York ranked ninth in the country for percentage of its roads deemed in poor condition in 2008, the latest figures available, according to TRIP, a transportation advocacy group in Washington, D.C. In a report this month, it found New York ranked 15th in the country for the percentage of deficient rural bridges.

Gannett's review of state records shows that upstate has more structurally deficient bridges, while downstate has a larger concentration of bridges that have outlived their usefulness.

"We have noticed a pattern that the share of rural bridges that are structurally deficient tends to be higher, and upstate New York has more rural areas so that tends to be consistent to what we've seen elsewhere," said Frank Moretti, the group's director of policy and research.

Limited funds

The growing need for road and bridge repair has been hampered by limited state and federal aid and poor planning, critics said.

Too often repairs are reactionary, not preventative. And while Gov. Andrew Cuomo has made economic development a top focus, he has yet to detail how the state will tackle its infrastructure needs.

"When something breaks and can't be used, then we do something about it. That's not good for a lot of reasons. It becomes a safety issue and it certainly becomes a convenience issue," said Mike Elmendorf, president of the Associated General Contractors of New York State.

The state Legislature had historically passed a five-year capital bonding plan to repair roads and bridges. The last one in 2004 was for $17.7 billion. But in 2009, the Legislature, then controlled by Democrats, balked at a $26 billion, five-year DOT plan.

Instead, they passed a less costly two-year plan for a total of $7 billion. It expires next year. At the same time, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which provides public transit in New York City and its suburbs, received $9.1 billion for capital improvements, drawing the ire of upstate Republicans.

Some of the reduction has been offset by nearly $1 billion in federal stimulus aid allocated in 2009. But that money is nearly 80 percent spent, according to the state DOT.

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Sen. Thomas Libous, R-Binghamton, said a long-term plan for roads and bridges needs to be part of the task for Cuomo's regional economic-development teams, which are trying to find ways to draw private-sector jobs to New York.

"I think one of the things these regional economic teams have to look at is infrastructure," he said. "It's an important part of growing the state's economy."

He said part of the Southern Tier was "an island" after Tropical Storm Lee flooded major arteries.

Some counties said they've done their best to keep their county-owned roads and bridges in good repair. Counties, towns, the state and railroads all own some bridges.

Monroe County said it has kept tight oversight on its bridges and roads. Twenty-nine of the 121 county-owned bridges, or 24 percent, will be rated under 5 by year's end, said highway superintendent Terrence Rice. He said the county repairs about five or six bridges a year.

"You're going to just see a big glut of more bridges that are going to be, as time goes on, deficient — not unsafe, but they need to be addressed," he said.

Battle in D.C.

The issue is also playing out in Washington as a Sept. 30 deadline nears to renew federal funding for surface highway construction projects.

U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer said New York would lose $3 billion if the funding isn't continued. The money is tied to an 18.4 cent-per-gallon gas tax, which helps fund the repair of roads and bridges.

"Clearly the problem is very large and it would be just idiotic, I guess is the right word, to stop funding any of it," Schumer said. "How we're going to get more money than in the present highway bill? That's a different issue."

House Republicans have proposed a six-year transportation bill that would provide $230 billion nationally from the Highway Trust Fund, matching the expected revenue from the federal gasoline tax.

But that would mean a 30 percent drop in funding, if money from the federal general fund isn't used, as historically has been done.

In his American Jobs Act, President Obama included $50 billion for national infrastructure improvements. The White House estimated about $3 billion would go to New York.

One proposal being pushed by Schumer and some House Democrats is to create a National Infrastructure Bank to finance projects. It would be funded with $5 billion in each of the next five years and provide loans and grants to public works companies. The plan hasn't gained steam in the GOP-led House.

Rep. Nita Lowey, D-Harrison, Westchester County, said the U.S. is falling behind other countries in its infrastructure, saying a National Infrastructure Bank is "essential."